10 Most Terrifying Animals on Earth

Terror and dangers are two words we as humans have always been confronted since time immemorial. Although God created each of the living species in their own splendid form and left them to live in harmony, it’s not uncommon to hear incidents of fights and deaths occurred between them for their own existence and in the fight to survive and be the part of their respective food chains. From Vampire bats to the box jellyfishes you will get an idea of the world’s most terrifying, malignant and abominable creatures. Feel free to add more terrifying animals in the comments section, since I am sure to have missed a lot. But there’s one thing you won’t miss and that’s we (humans) in this list at the very top.

10. Vampire Bats

The finger sized (or even shorter) common vampire bat is one of the most dangerous animals one can find. They feed completely on blood of cattle and other animals, but they are known to attack humans too. With their sharp incisors and canines they are known to attack animals at the night and suck whatever blood that comes out. The blood sucked does not harm the host cattle or horse but the infections can be extremely lethal. These small looking mammals reside in colonies of approximately 100 bats. Let me end with a scary fact about these bats- a typical colony of 100 bats can drink out the total blood of 25 cows in a single year. Enough to make them nasty, huh?

9. The Black Widow

Much like its name, this spider is gruesome, and full of dark powers (venom). Out of all the dangerous spiders present in world, this North American native wins the race. The neurotoxin venom that it releases into its prey is enough to cause abdominal and back pain, abdominal muscle cramps, delayed breathing, high blood pressure, restlessness, and, in some cases, death. Small in size like a paper clip and having an hour glass impression on it black body, this spider is notoriously famous for their bloodthirsty courtship. Scary Fact: Their venom is 15 times more dangerous than rattle snakes and bites done to small children are almost fatal.

8. Wolves

Blame the Twilight Saga or the other werewolf movies but one thing is for sure- wolves never transform into humans, whether they hunt humans is a question to ask. Well wolves are the most gruesome and malignant animals present in the animal world. They are famous for their “woo-hu” calls which can send shivers down your spine if heard from close quarters. They live in packs and attack in packs. Although they are seldom heard to attack humans, they generally attack cattle and domestic animals. The Grey wolf is the largest member of the dog family and can rip its opposition with its strong jaws and sharp teeth. Scary fact: Cannibalism is very common in wolves, and they also eat their prey alive.

7. Sharks

These animals were made infamous by people at Hollywood. Accuse the movie “jaws”, since scientists disagree on the fact that these creatures attack humans. Shark attacks on human are very rare and almost unreported. But still one cannot underestimate these carnivorous creatures. With razor like sharp teeth and topping the scales in terms of weight, size and power they are the undefeated champs of the deep seas. They have an extremely well developed sense of smell and can even detect electromagnetic waves. Scary fact: Great whites can detect one drop of blood in 25 gal (100 L) of water and can sense even tiny amounts of blood in the water up to 3 mi (5 km) away.

6. Lions

Well the king of the jungle definitely deserves a place in the top 10. With weights upto 500 lbs these animals are the last one you would want to meet in the wild. Although feeding primarily on cattle, deer, and other animals of the jungle, lions have time and again been reported to have human meals. The African lion is considered to be the most dangerous for its brutal strength and team tactics. Lions are the only cats which work as a team to bring down much larger preys in the wild. Generally staying in groups called prides, the female of the species are the primary hunters. A typical pride may have 3 males, a dozen females and their cubs. And please don’t get cute impressions of lions from what you see in Madagascar or The Lion King, they are nowhere close to it. Scary fact: In 1898, a pair of lions reportedly ate 135 people working on a railroad in Kenya.

5. Polar bears

The polar bears are classic predators that typically do not fear humans. Roaming around the Arctic Circle they are very skilful swimmers and posses large webbed front paws. Feeding primarily on seals and other aquatic fishes, these giants are the undefeated masters of their habitat. The bear’s stark white fur provides camouflage in the polar areas but beneath these furs they have a typical black bear skin which helps in absorption of sunlight. Impressive and attractive looking, these are undaunted, malignant predators much opposite to their projected image. Scary fact: The bite strength of polar bears is one of the greatest around 1,000 psi(over 450 kgs), they can crush out the skull in a single bite. Take that!

4. Crocodiles

With an average size of 17 feet and weight of 1,000 pounds the salt water crocodiles are the largest living crocodilians. Classic opportunistic predators, these are excellent swimmers too. Primarily feeding on water buffaloes, monkeys, boars and even sharks they are infamous for their reputation as a man-eater. With weights up to 2,200 pounds and sizes upto20 feet, these are not only the largest but also the most dangerous reptiles on earth. Originally an Australian inhabitant, but they are now also found in freshwater regions of Southeast Asia and eastern India. Scary fact: in April 2007 in a Taiwanese zoo, an incompletely sedated saltwater crocodile ripped off a veterinarian’s forearm.

3. Black Mamba

This native of the savannas and eastern Africa are the longest venomous, lethal snakes in the world. With sizes up to 14 ft and good running speeds of up to 12.5 mile per hour, they not only hunt with great precision but also for escaping threats. When in danger this aggressive snake raise their heads, sometimes even one-thirds of their body, open up their cobra like flaps and hiss and bite. They are called black (although they are brown in color) because of the color of their inner mouth which is blue-black. Scary fact: a 10 mg sample of its venom is enough to kill a human adult. The venom releases neurotoxins/cardiotoxins into the blood which can kill a person in 20 minutes if not administered with an immediate antidote.

2. Box Jellyfish

Remember Will Smith starrer –“7 Pounds” movie, wherein he uses his pet jellyfish to kill himself? Yeah I bet you do- meet the world’s most dangerous venom possessor- the box jellyfish. They can kill their prey- fishes, shrimps or even accidental human beings swimming around with its powerful sting which sends the prey into a shock, and die with heart/multi organs failure within few seconds. These abominable creatures are also called sea wasps and marine stingers owing to their powerful stinging system. They are more developed than the other jellyfishes and have developed features of swimming rather than just floating. Scary fact: Each tentacle has about 5,000 stinging cells, which are triggered by a chemical on the outer layer of the prey.

1. Humans

Yes you’re reading it right baby, we are living in the 21st century where men may kill men without reasons, with no sense of danger, and with great precision and accuracy. What is more dangerous to men than the next man who stays in his close proximity? From thefts, robberies, terrorists activities and world wars men have been known to do it all for their own selfish reasons rather than the hunger and self-protection that drives other animals to hunt. Albert Einstein once remarked-“Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the universe.” Humans harm, hurt and kill for their own sake of stupidity. A zoo in some part of the world has a mirror at its entrance and a nearby billboard that reads-“You, are the world’s most dangerous animal. Look after yourself and don’t harm the other animals”.

Author

An Engineering undergraduate who doesn't simply want to become an engineer doing an 8-to-5 job later in his life. With a growing interest in almost all spheres of life-technology, sports, music, debating, writing, facebooking and etc. etc.I wish to be a freelancer creating new things and working at his own will.
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